Hong Kong considers designated labs to test scaffolding nets after deadly blaze
Stricter checks to be imposed on materials sampled on site amid concern over allegedly falsified safety documents
Insiders said on Wednesday that the government had met contractor and worker representatives on Monday to gather their views on the new procedures for sampling and certifying scaffolding nets and related materials before installation on building facades.
Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho earlier announced that building authorities would issue new guidelines for scaffolding this week and had ordered the citywide removal of nets from buildings undergoing major maintenance after certificates for plastic mesh were suspected to have been falsified at several sites.
A source said the new arrangement would cover protective nets, screens, tarpaulins and plastic sheeting on scaffolding, which would be sampled on site for certification.
The insider said one possible direction would be to require every batch of these materials to undergo fire-retardant tests at authorised laboratories.
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Earlier investigations found that the Wang Fuk Court fire, which killed at least 160 people and engulfed seven residential buildings undergoing renovations when it broke out on November 26, began on scaffolding and spread rapidly through foam boards used as protective materials, burning for 43 hours.